What does a motorcycle enthusiast need when looking for new routes? The journalist and two-wheel travel expert Pedro Pardo provides four basic ingredients: that it has a winding layout, that the landscape has visual beauty, that traffic is minimal and that the layout is in good condition.
Since it is impossible to summarize the 20,000 kilometers that it has travelled, we are going to choose those ideal routes to discover the charms of the Mediterranean.
Route cerca de Montserrat.
By motorcycle through Montseny and the Jungle
This traveler assures that the 78 km that cross the Montseny mountain range are among the most attractive in Catalonia, where it competes in beauty with the Pre -Pyrenees and the N-260 , the Pyrenean Axis.
When traveling through it, you can see the rocky massifs that reach 1,700 meters, where from time to time they fall into deep crevices with abundant vegetation.
Although the landscape captivates the senses, one must be careful because the road has some narrow sections and “the twists and turns are constant”. But as a point in favor is the good state of maintenance of the route.
In the region of La Selva, between Sant Hilari Sacalm (a traditional producer of mineral waters) and the town of Anglés , the route runs parallel to the meanders of the River Osor ; where much of the road runs in the shade due to the lush vegetation that climbs the canyons.
By motorbike through the Montsant mountain range
We continue through Catalonia, on a 100 km route that Pardo also qualifies as “one of the most charming” in this autonomous community.
The C-242 in Cornudella de Montsant view.
The southern slope of this route joins the town of Borges del Camp with Poblet, a land of monasteries and vineyards.
The 100 km route between Borges del Campo and Poblet “is one of the most charming in Catalonia”, says Pedro Padro
Among the most spectacular sections are the 22 km from Prades to Esplugas de Francolí , where you travel flanked by the limestone walls of the Sierra de la Musara and the peaks of Montsant.
The north face of the mountain range, a usual point of pilgrimage for bikers from Tarragona and surroundings, is traveled by a road in good condition through a dense pine forest, which after several gentle curves approaches the port of Albarca , at an altitude of 774 metres.
By motorcycle to the Port of Villarluengo
We are already in Teruel , on a 60-kilometre route that leads to the Port of Villarluengo , which is located at an altitude of 1,160 metres.
Pardo describes this route as “one of the most spectacular in the center of the peninsula”.
When traveling from south to north, shortly before reaching the Cañada de Benatanduz , a continuous descent begins with a drop of 500 meters, from elevations 1,600 to 1,100, which requires extreme precautions.
Port of Cuarto Pelado.
The biker will see that on one side a calcareous abyss unfolds, a product of the erosion that the Cañada River has carved out.
Among the attractions of this route are the Organs of Montoro , where the slopes are reminiscent of the metal tubes of this instrument.
What is suggested is to make the descent calmly, and when the road offers an opportunity, stop to contemplate the landscape from above.
By motorcycle through the Puerto del Remolcador
“There isn’t a motorcyclist from Castellón de la Plana who hasn’t traveled the route to this port,” says Pardo.
Taking into account the beauty that this layout displays, the statement is understandable. The sinuosity of the asphalt strip “seems specially designed for motorcyclists”, where you travel through forests that seem to gently cover the vehicle.
Landscape of the Utiel mountain range.
The southern section, from Montanejos to Lucena del Cid , the landscape is different, with curves through hills at medium height where the Peñagolosa massif can be seen in the distance.
By motorcycle through the Sierra de las Cabrillas and the Turia
In the province of Valencia , on this 45-kilometre route, Pardo suggests making frequent stops to feel how your heart shrinks before the beauty of the mountains and valleys. And above all, with the engine off to listen to the silence.
The Sierra de las Cabrillas presents itself with its limestone walls with the sporadic splash of wild bushes.
It should be noted that this route is a shaft, with some short sections that “must go back to the time of the ox carts.”
On the route, three ports are crossed, each one a watchtower to capture nature: Sot de Chera at 467 meters, Salto de la Mora at 608 and Requena at 811 meters.
By motorcycle through the Sierra de Almagrera and Punta del Santo
The Mediterranean facade “is not very generous in roads indicated for motorists”, he points out, due to the consequences of “hyper-urbanization”.
Punta Del Santo.
However, there are welcome exceptions, such as the 28 km of Sierra de Almagrera and the 20 km of Punta del Santo , on the eastern coast of Almería .
Between Almagrera and Punta del Santo, in Almería, the landscape alternates between the Mediterranean on one side and stretches of lunar landscapes on the other
On a motorcycle through the Sierra Espuña
This 131 km route, one of the longest among those recommended by Pardo, joins the town of Totana with the Alhama de Murcia .
Its route crosses the Sierra Espuña Regional Park , where you have to be very careful because the route is narrow and a vehicle can surprise you from the opposite side.
